In a first, PM Modi to address election rally in Srinagar on Dec 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address an election rally in Srinagar on December 6 as the Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing to install its government in Jammu and Kashmir. Modi would address another election rally in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district on the same day.
“Prime Minister Modi will address two election rallies in Srinagar and Anantnag on December 6,” Vice-President of State Bharatiya Janta Party unit, Ramesh Arora, told a press conference here.
The Srinagar rally would be the first election function to be addressed by any Prime Minister in the summer capital, which is considered to be a stronghold of separatists, post-1990. It would also be Modi’s first rally in Srinagar after becoming the Prime Minister. He would be the third Prime Minister after Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh to address a rally in Srinagar, after ‘90’s.
Though Arora didn’t disclose the venue for the Srinagar rally, he said the BJP has applied for permission with the authorities concerned.
“We appeal people to come forward and express themselves before their Prime Minister. You will realize that he is taking the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s path,” Arora said.
He said the Prime Minister was scheduled to address two more election rallies in Jammu region in the coming phases of elections in the state.
“We have finalized the venues for rallies in Udhampur and Jammu districts and the dates will be announced soon,” he said.
The BJP leader said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh would also address election rallies in Uri, Pahalgam and Karna on November 28.
The BJP is working on a “Mission” to get majority in the State Assembly polls which are scheduled to start from tomorrow, to install its first government in Jammu and Kashmir. A sweep in this year’s parliament polls in Jammu and Ladakh by BJP has given boost to the party which is now eyeing to make inroads in Kashmir. The party is working on a plan to win four to six seats in the Valley which have traditionally rejected BJP.
“The BJP is gaining substantial foothold in Kashmir as people, particularly youth, are joining the party. When youth of a society take a direction, it becomes difficult to stop them,” Arora said.
Without naming anybody Arora, said two families had “looted” Jammu and Kashmir over the past few decades. He accused the state government of failing its people in times of floods.
“They (National Conference-Congress) were nowhere after the floods for 10 days,” he said.
Arora said the political parties in Kashmir have “turned arrest and release of youth into a trade”. “Hundreds of youth from downtown approached us and expressed their anguish. While one political party gets them arrested on charges of stone pelting, another pays money to release them for vested interests,” he said.
Arora also talked about Kashmir disappearances in the past 24 years. “We have half-widows here. There are around 35000 families whose kin have been disappeared. The least the former governments could have done is share the information about their whereabouts—whether they are dead or alive,” he said. “Even if due to security reasons certain information is kept under cover, their families deserve to know.”
Recognizing Pakistan as an important party to Kashmir issue, Arora said BJP was ready to carry forward the dialogue process under the Shimla Agreement. “We have said it in the past and are again saying that BJP is committed to take foreword the dialogue under Shimla Agreement. We are competent enough to solve our problems and we don’t need any foreign intervention to resolve our own issues,” he said.